Wake Me Up

“Wait, wait, right there! Perfect, don’t move.” I took a few shots with my new camera. Click. Click. I snapped some portraits before asking my subject to reposition. “Tilt your head just a bit towards the sun. Good.” Click. I moved my medium brown hair out of my face and then knelt down on the ground, feeling the wet grass on my knees, to get a better angle. The wind blew slightly making my subjects blond hair flow in the most perfect way. Click. Awesome. “Okay, I think I’m done for today.”

            My subject relaxed, dropping her shoulders and letting out a long sigh. She flipped her long blond hair flirtatiously behind her shoulder. Her warm brown eyes, always prettier than my cold green ones, glittered while she talked to me. “Good, I was getting tired of staring at the sun, Shay.” My friend closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

            “I know, I know. I just wanted to get that perfect shot! Your hair looks its best in the sun; I can’t help but get some good shots of it.” I turned off my camera and placed the lens cap on. I carefully put it back in my camera bag and slung it over my shoulder.

            “So how’s loser boy? Ha, I mean lover boy.” My friend said, winking at me and giving me a soft nudge.

            I laughed a little. “Kate…you know his name. Jake’s good. We went on our fifth date last night.”

            Kate finished doing a cartwheel in the grass then stood up abruptly, whipping her hair back gloriously. “What? Why didn’t you tell me you went out last night? I was wondering why you didn’t answer my texts…”

            I chuckled a little. “Sorry, it was kind of a surprise date. We just went to a movie. I forgot to tell you when I got home.”

            Kate rolled her perfect brown eyes and laughed her gorgeous laugh. I wasn’t really sure how I had a boyfriend and she didn’t. She was Miss Beautiful and I was just the best friend. She had perfect hair, bright eyes, a figure to die for, and her skin? Flawless. I had flat hair, plain eyes, a boring smile, and a figure that could be improved. Let’s not even mention my complexion. So when I started a relationship with someone before her I was thoroughly amazed. I guess Kate didn’t have one because she has very high standards for guys, plus she’s so busy with sports she doesn’t have time for a boyfriend. I had gotten Jake out of pure luck.

            We were both going for the drinking fountain at school when we almost collided. He was a gentleman and let me get a drink first. When I stood back up I had water on my chin, which would happen of course to a loser like me. But Jake just smiled and wiped it off for me. We started talking after that and a few days later he asked me out. I know it sounds like the dumbest story ever, but hey. All that matters is that I’ve got a wonderful, faithful boyfriend.

            Kate and I walked away from the park and towards my house. “You’re so in love with Jerk, I mean Jake that you’re starting to forget about me!” We talked and laughed and made fun of each other all the way home, just like best friends do.

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            When we got back to my house my mom was running around the kitchen trying to cook dinner, talk on the phone and take care of my two year old sister, Libby, all at the same time. Even though women are supposed to be great at multitasking, my mom couldn’t seem to master it. The stove had an overflowing pot of boiling water on it, smoke was coming out of the microwave, my sister was wailing like an upset monkey and I’m pretty sure my mom was missing everything being said on the other end of the phone. This wasn’t just a mess, it was chaos.

            I was used to all this though. Kate had been over enough times too that she was now accustomed to our hectic lifestyle. We both knew exactly what to do. Without a word we entered the mayhem. Kate went to the stove, moving the pot away from the burner and turning it off. Then she opened the microwave, pulling out whatever burnt food was in there this time and placed it in the sink. I headed over to my sister, picking her up and handing her a sippy cup. I placed her in her high chair and gave her a handful of cheerios. My mom mouthed ‘thank you’ to us then went to the other room to finish her conversation. Kate and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. This was my everyday life.